Acta Sanctorum
by Indecisively Yours
Summary: Anderson family reunions were always a disaster. Throw in the CIA suspecting you of being the leak and you've just created a catastrophe. Auggie/Annie;
1. Prologue

**A/N:** I promised a story, didn't I? The beginning is rather ambiguous, and Arthur was a slight challenge to write. Hopefully I did the man justice. See him as you wish. Reviews, as always, are lovely, appreciated, and are just one of the many ways to show me you've enjoyed the story thus far. A billion and one thanks to those who read my previous CA-shots. There will be more to come in the future, don't you worry!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs. That belongs to its creators, Matt Corman and Chris Ord. The idea partially belongs to me. Credit given to Erin for helping me with the idea.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum**_**  
**_:Deeds of the Saints:

_I hate the idea of causes,_  
_and if I had to choose between betraying my country and betraying my friend,_  
_I hope I should have the guts to betray my country._

E. M. Forster_  
_

**

* * *

**

**Prologue**

The room belonging to the director of DCS was quiet. Arthur Campbell was alone, only a single lamp on while he awaited the return of one of his agents. All around, polygraph tests were being conducted on the agents and workers in order to find the source of the leak. Each day, it was as though the leak was becoming grander and grander, without a clue as to whom it could be or where it could be coming from.

Arthur had his suspicions, but he knew better than to voice them in front of his wife, Joan Campbell, the director of DPD. He was in the midst of repairing his relationship with her, and by telling her that _he _was near the top of his list would just bring them both back to step one.

After all, he was her most trusted agent.

It was near his hour of leaving when his agent returned. In his hand he held a manila folder; on his face, a look of disappointment. Arthur knew this wasn't going to be good news—or perhaps not good enough news.

"Sir," the agent said, standing by the door. Arthur ushered him inside, removing his glasses and closing the file before him. The agent came to stand before him, ready to speak. "The polygraph you requested has been conducted and analyzed." He passed the manila folder to Arthur. "It's like your wife said: he's not the leak."

Arthur groaned. He thought they were close. Closer than they thought they had been in a while.

"Have you managed to tap his outside phone?" Arthur asked his agent. Just because his polygraph came out clean did not mean that he was easily off the hook. Anyone like him would have had some kind of training so as to beat the polygraph.

"Yes, Sir," the agent said with a nod of his head. "I made sure both phones were tapped while he was in the polygraph room. We'll get hers the moment she arrives back."

"Good." Arthur nodded. At least some things were still going according to plan. "And the letter? Has it arrived yet?"

"The moment he checks his mailbox tonight it should be present."

"Excellent."

"But, Sir," the agent interjected, slightly hesitant about speaking his mind. "Are you sure your wife will allow _both _of them to go?"

"August Anderson and Anne Walker will have no problem leaving when the time comes. I'll make sure of it."


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I'd like to start off by saying: WOW. I did not expect that kind of response from a simple prologue. You guys blew my mind with all the adds to favorites, alerts, and not to mention those reviews. Seriously, you guys are awesome, so thank you all. A special thanks goes out to all of those who have been following me ever since I began here in the Covert Affairs fandom. I'm having too much fun with Annie and Auggie to give them up just yet, don't you worry!

Oh, and I get bored easily. So if you have any ideas (or prompts) you'd like to see me write as a one-shot, feel free to send them my way. I'm currently compiling a list. Also, if you have a CA or USA network story you're working on and would like me to check out, feel free to send the story my way as well! As always, reviews are entertaining as well! I love hearing from you guys!

Now, I'll let you guys read before I start to ramble. I especially liked this quote (Fitzgerald is one of my favorites). Oh, and a special thanks to me prima, Onelys, for helping me out a TON with all those random parts I had! Without her, I don't think I'd have the chapter out now.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs. That belongs to its creators, Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Idea belongs a bit more to me now, because I've warped the original idea that Erin originally gave me.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_First you take a drink,  
then the drink takes a drink,  
then the drink takes you._

F. Scott Fitzgerald_  
_

* * *

**Chapter One**

The moment Annie arrived at the department and saw that Auggie wasn't present, she knew something was wrong. He was always the first one to greet her the moment she walked into DPD, and the lack of his presence set off alarms. This action was something that she had grown accustomed to—for some reason it was as though he always knew the exact moment of her arrival.

Annie calmly walked over to the tech office, hoping that he was merely there, enjoying some breakfast or working on something for Joan. To her dismay, he was not present there as well.

"Morning, Annie," Tom, one of Auggie's techies, greeted her.

"Morning," she replied back slowly, giving the room another once-over to make sure he wasn't hiding in a secret alcove of some sort. "Have you seen Auggie, by any chance?"

Tom shook his head. "He's normally here before I am. Ruthie!" he called out to the female across the room, files in hand. Swiveling his chair, he inquired, "Any word from Auggie this morning?"

The brunette tech assistant walked over to Tom, deciding not to shout back in return. "Joan came in earlier this morning and said he called in sick. I thought I told you."

"It slipped your mind, actually," Tom replied.

"Well now you know," Ruthie retorted. She bid her 'good morning' to Annie and then went back to whatever task she was previously doing.

"I'll just call him later to check up on him," said Annie.

After bidding the techies a good day, Annie headed off to her desk. A small pile of paperwork awaited her, but it was not much that would take longer than her normal work hours.

If nothing randomly came up for her, Annie would head over to Auggie's place after work and check up on him. In all her days working at the CIA, Auggie never once called in sick or arrived late. For him to not have shown up today, and not have even placed a call to her was something that she did not take lightly.

Plus, it was only Wednesday. She still had twenty-four hours until work would become hectic and he'll in one, not to mention Danielle's dinners.

Just eight more hours. Annie could survive the next eight hours without Auggie by her side. She had done it prior to meeting him, so why could she not do it now?

Like they say, some things are easier said than done.

**xxx**

He called in sick the moment his alarm went off. To say that he actually got a lick of sleep would be an understatement. Who could sleep after getting news like he did?

Joan didn't question him, hearing the difference in his voice from his normal attitude. He never called in sick unless he knew for sure he couldn't take a step out of bed. Today was simply one of those days.

Instead of making his day as productive as he possibly could, August Anderson decided that it was best to merely stay alone and wallow in his misery. He forewent breakfast for the bottle of Patron he kept for special occasions.

By noon, he had received not one but three calls on each of his cell phones. He knew who those calls were from, but he just couldn't will himself to answer them. If he did, she would know that something was really wrong and she would come rushing over. That was the last thing he wanted at the moment.

So, instead of answering his phone like he should have, he placed it on silent, grabbed another bottle of Patron, and blocked the rest of the world out.

**xxx**

The end of the day for Annie arrived sooner than she expected it to do so. During her lunch hour, Annie had called Auggie not once but three times on both his encrypted and outside cell. The fact that he picked up neither mobile device set off even more alarms, but there was nothing she could do.

Voicing her thoughts to Joan would just make her seem obsessed, and that was the last thing she wanted to appear to be. So, when she clocked out for the day and bid the people in the office their farewell for the day, Annie headed for the one place she hoped it would be at—his apartment.

"Off in such a rush?" inquired Jai Wilcox as she headed for the door.

"Urgent business to attend to," she replied, not wanting to disclose much information to him. It was bad enough that he had a constant eye on her in the office. The last thing she needed was a Jai Wilcox following her around outside of the DPD.

After she spoke with Tom, Joan did inform Annie that Auggie would not be present for the day; she assumed that they were friends enough that he would place a call to her himself and inform her that she would be partner-less for the day.

She had his address engraved in her mind ever since that one night when they became completely wasted at the tavern. Well, he became wasted. She was that special kind of wasted where you're actually a bit better driver because you're aware of the fact that you are wasted and shouldn't be driving.

She took him home that night and followed him to his apartment. He proposed for her to stay that night, and at first she declined. After taking a step and tripping however, she reconsidered and ended up sleeping on Auggie's couch for the night. The earful she received from Danielle the next morning was worth the comfortable sleep she received on the couch.

When Annie arrived at the apartment, she heard no sounds coming from it whatsoever. The lights were off, but she knew that to be a normal aspect of Auggie's. He had told her once that there wasn't any point to him having the lights on if he didn't need them.

The first thing Annie did was to knock. She knocked and knocked and knocked for what seemed like a good ten minutes before she decided that he either wasn't there or was hurt. Being the panicked person that she could become when it related to him, Annie went with the latter. It would definitely explain why he wasn't picking up his cell every time she called.

"Auggie?" she called from the other side of the apartment door. No response came her way.

Reaching into her pocket for a pin, Annie inserted it into the tumbler, turning it a bit until she heard the audible click of the door being unlocked.

"Aug, you in here?" she called out to the dark apartment. Her hands immediately went for the lights, and upon turning them on she was confronted with a sight she hoped to never see.

There, on the living room couch, laid Auggie, appearing as though he just went to Hell and back. His forehead had a red bump on it while a bit of blood trailed down the side of his face. His shirt was stained red near the right shoulder, and a few bruises seemed to be forming on his arms.

"Oh, my God," Annie breathed, shutting the door behind her and running towards him. He was immobile, and in his right hand he limply held what appeared to be a bottle of Patron. Annie shook him a bit, hoping to get a response. Unfortunately, she received none.

Oh, Lord, what was she to do now?


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: **Thanks a billion to all of those who read and reviewed! You guys are all seriously awesome, and I enjoyed reading each and every one of your reviews! I'm posting this tonight, with less than 5 minutes to spare, in honor of thee lovely Chris Gorham's birthday (which is still today)! So, I'm keeping this note short. Reviews are welcomed and definitely appreciated! (I'll get to replying to the reviews just as soon as I finish with everything else I have to do!)

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Covert Affairs. That belongs to its creators, Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Idea belongs much more to me than before, because I have modified the original idea greatly and Erin is not fully aware of the changes.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_Kissing is like drinking salted water._  
_You drink, and your thirst increases._

Chinese Proverb

* * *

**Chapter Two**

Annie was completely and utterly stumped as to what to do. She tried shaking him, tried yelling at him, but neither action worked.

The bottle of Patron in his hand had fallen out of his loose grip during her near violent shaking. As it fell, Annie noticed two other empty bottles of the tequila next to the couch. He went through almost three bottles of Patron all by himself? Did he have some sort of death wish?

The fact that he wasn't responding now frightened Annie more than anything. She knew there was a possibility that he could have slipped into a coma due to all of the liquor (for all she knew, perhaps these were the most recent bottles and he had disposed of the others). She had been in this type of situation before, with a roommate of hers back in college, so she hoped the same rules still applied now.

Running over to the kitchen, Annie began to search the cupboards for a big enough pot. Surprised that he still had one, she grabbed it and began to fill it with cold water, or as cold as the faucet would give her. Once the pot was successfully filled, Annie grabbed it and headed back to the living room where, to her dismay, Auggie was still unmoving. After a mental count of three, Annie poured the pot of water onto him.

Auggie shot up from his position seconds afterwards. "Shit!" he yelled, once he felt the impact of the freezing cold water on his body. "What the—"

"Asshole!" Annie yelled, grabbing one of the now soaked pillows and hitting him with it. Never would she have called him an _asshole_, but she was thoroughly pissed off and wasn't in the mood to mind her manners. She relinquished her hold on the pot, allowing it to fall to the ground as she repeatedly hit him with the pillow.

"Annie?" Auggie inquired, holding his hands up in defense. He had the small disadvantage of having a searing headache, which prevented him from knowing the direction in which her blows would be coming from. "Annie!" he yelled, trying to get some response from her. "Annie, stop!"

"Bastard!" she yelled, hitting him one final time before allowing the pillow to fall to the ground as well. "I thought you were dead!"

"I was sleeping!" he retorted, using the same tone of voice she was.

"I've been trying to wake you for the past ten minutes! I was worried about you!"

Auggie groaned, placing a hand on his head and allowing it to rest there. "Could you please stop yelling?" he asked of her, hair dripping a mix of water and something diluted red.

Annie immediately caught sight of the drops and sat down next to him. He didn't move at the feeling of the couch dip next to him, instead remaining as he was. She removed his hand from his head; with a finger under his chin, Annie turned his head to face her. Moving a bit of the hair now plastered on his forehead, Annie not only saw the bump, but saw a noticeable wound near his hairline.

"Auggie," Annie breathed. From her close proximity, Auggie feel her warm breath on him. "You're hurt."

"Really?" he sarcastically quipped back. "'Cause I couldn't feel it with all of the tequila in my system."

"Jerk," she replied, punching him in the shoulder, uncertain if he was serious or joking. Accidentally and without her immediate knowledge, Annie had punched him in his injured shoulder.

Auggie instantly groaned, hand on his shoulder to put pressure on the wound and dull the pain. "I've managed to injure myself enough today," he said through gritted teeth. "Please don't add to it."

"You did this to yourself?" she inquired, voice just as loud as it was before. How was it possible that he—Auggie Anderson—had managed to beat himself up _in his own home_?

"Yelling, please," he said, hand now back at his head. "You're making the headache worse."

"It's all your fault," she informed him. "No one told you to have a fiesta by yourself." Annie reached for his free hand and tugged on it, a signal that she wanted him to get up from the couch. "C'mon," she told him, once his grip was firmly on her elbow, "I need to check the destruction before you get an infection."

On their way to the bathroom, Auggie managed to barely avoid getting hit with something or tripping over anything invisible on the floor. Alcohol did cause a lack of coordination, but he knew from previous experiences that it was almost ten times worse on a blind person. He was aware of his surroundings enough that he knew he was led to the bathroom inside of his room.

Auggie's bathroom was spacious enough that they weren't crowded in it. The bathroom did also allow a lot of room for movement, which would prove beneficial in order for Annie to examine his wounds. She figured that if he were already in his room, she could get him to bed easier than having him walk all around his house.

"Sit," Annie instructed him, pushing him down onto the toilet seat.

"The first-aid kit is under the sink," he informed her.

Annie turned and reached under the sink, finding the white kit and taking it out. When she opened it she was surprised to see that the kit was fully intact. Of course Auggie would never get hurt; he was like Daredevil with his magical ability to just _see_ things.

"Take off your shirt."

The mischievous grin appeared on Auggie's face. "I knew you'd want to have your way with me while I was still intoxicated."

"Funny," Annie said, a small hint of blush rising to her cheeks. "But your shirt's covered in blood and I think your shoulder's hurt."

Auggie complied, smirk still present on his face. Annie heard him wince as he began to remove his shirt. Instead of allowing him to cause himself more pain, Annie helped him remove his shirt. She could have sworn she felt him shiver under her touch, but she paid no mind to it. Right now, his wounds needed to be tended to the most.

As he sat there, shirtless, she had to suppress a gasp. For a blind man, Auggie definitely kept himself in shape. Then again, she was well aware of that fact during their little sparring match weeks ago.

There was no wound on his shoulder, just a nasty bruise forming. That meant that the blood had to be coming from somewhere else, most likely from his head injury. She quickly began to work, using an alcohol pad to clean some of the dried up blood that had seeped through the shirt and onto his shoulder.

Luckily, his head injury didn't require stitches, but it did require something more than a simple band-aid. She grabbed one of the big gauze pads and cut it in half. After wiping the cut down with an alcohol pad (he winced; what a baby), Annie placed the pad on his forehead.

"The cut's still bleeding, probably has been for a while, so just leave this on for the night and let the blood clot," she instructed.

All of a sudden, Annie felt hands on her thighs—_his_ hands. He trailed them up to her waist, standing up once he had a firm grip on her. Their bodies were at such a close proximity that the bathroom now appeared to be a mansion instead of what it was.

"Thank you," he breathed, resting his forehead on hers.

_It's the Patron…it's the Patron…oh, to Hell with the Patron!_ Annie thought as she crashed her lips onto his. All of that pent up tension wasn't good for one person to hold inside of them, and to Hell if she was going to just stand there while he virtually provoked her.

His hands were around her waist, pulling her closer, while her hands were tangled in his hair, deepening the kiss. She could taste the faint remnants of the tequila on his lips; the taste became stronger once their tongues found each other, lips still moving in sync.

For someone with a lack of coordination, Auggie led them perfectly fine out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Before she knew it, her back was hitting the mattress and their kiss was broken, his figure hovering over her. The smirk was present on his face, and she couldn't help but bit her bottom lip in order to prevent herself from simply pouncing on him and removing whatever clothing he had left.

When their lips had found each others once more, Annie flipped their positions, now allowing her to straddle his waist while their dance continued. Auggie, however, liked to be in control, so once her legs were around his waist, he flipped them yet again. He pulled away for just a moment, knowing that if they didn't get some air they would both die of blissful asphyxiation.

Then, with his lips next to her ear, he whispered, "Take off your shirt."


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: **I'll start off by saying: DID YOU SEE TONIGHT'S EPISODE. All of those damn Auggie/Annie moments had me grinning like a fool. And even though next episode doesn't seem to promote much Auggie/Annie, I can safely say that I am looking forward to that. I'll still be here, impatiently waiting.

Now, onto the real news...well, other real news. Thanks to those who took the time to review, _especially_ the thought out reviews that were more than simply an _Update soon_! Yeah. Shout-out goes to LuckyLlama17 for being there since day one, I believe. You, my friend, are definitely awesome. Now, I'll add this on. Little preview will begin to go out to those who actually do take the time to review, more than a simple word or two. Don't consider it a bribery, consider it a gift on my part for giving a gift to me.

Thanks to Erin and Onelys for being the "excellent listener" (s) I've been constantly needing since day one. I'm probably going to keep thanking you guys in each chapter, unless I forget (or you annoy me one day. It happens).

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs. That belongs to its creators, Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Idea's becoming more and more of my own each day (though if you think about it, no idea is ever really original...just modified enough that...yeah, I'll end it there).

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_Holding on to anger is like  
grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else;  
you are the one who gets burned._

Buddha_  
_

* * *

**Chapter Three**

Annie smiled. She enjoyed seeing this side of Auggie—the side he apparently saved in the bedroom. She wondered how many women were fortunate enough to see this side of him, but she soon set that thought aside. She was seeing this side right now; no need to ruin the moment.

As she began to unbutton her blouse, Annie noticed something: the bracelet. She still had the damn bracelet on her wrist! Thoughts of her and Ben and Sri Lanka and their whirlwind romance came to mind. She shut her eyes, trying to dispel the images.

When she opened her eyes, the fog that was covering them cleared; in front of her she didn't see the man she just made out with but _Auggie_. Her best friend Auggie. The only person inside of DPD that she had a solid relationship with—and she was about to ruin it by acting impulsively.

"I can't do this," she immediately told him, pushing him away. She was close to hyperventilating, but paid no mind to it as she rose from the bed. "_We_ can't do this."

"I'm sorry?" he questioned, a look of incredulity upon his face.

"Auggie, I just—I can't. I can't let us ruin our friendship." Conveniently, Annie left out the huge part about her mind still being stuck in _Ben Mode_ and her being unable to trigger it off.

Instead of replying, Auggie laughed. It wasn't a funny kind of laugh but an _I can't believe you're saying this_ laugh. "You know, I heard around DPD that Annie Walker was a tease. I just didn't think it was all true."

Annie took in a sharp breath. She never _ever_ in a million years expected these words to be coming out of Auggie's mouth. Yet here she was, standing right in front of him, hearing those words come out of his lips and into her ears.

"I may be a tease, Auggie, but at least I'm not an asshole jerk who thinks he can get away with saying shit to people just because he's blind!" Annie wasn't about to take his words sitting down, no sir. "You know what, I'll see you tomorrow."

As she made her way out of the bedroom, she heard him say, "Lock the door on your way out!" before he slammed his bedroom door shut.

Annie just wanted to let out a scream; to throw a tantrum like a two year old. Where did he get off basically assaulting her (technically, she assaulted him first) and then being a jerk about it? After she went through all of that trouble _coming here_ and not only worrying that he was dead but taking care of him and cleaning him up!

_Humph…let's see if one of those hussies he picks up at the bar will come and take care of him next time he's sick._

As Annie was headed out the door, an opened letter on the end table next to the door caught her sight. She could see the upraised dots of the Braille, and right above them she could see what appeared to be the slanted cursive writing of a male. Letting her curiosity get the best of her, Annie picked up the letter, quickly skimming it before Auggie came out of his room to yell at her some more for not having left yet.

"_August Anderson…writing from Glencoe…it is my duty to regret to inform you that your mother, Caroline Anderson, has passed away from breast cancer. Since only your address was on file in the unfortunate case that something were to happen to her, I contacted you immediately… funeral will take place within the week…would enjoy to see you present."_

Annie looked back at the shut bedroom door, finally understanding why he appeared the way he did when she arrived and why he was acting the way he was.

"Oh, Auggie," she whispered. Instead of turning back to the room, Annie stepped out the apartment. Right now, he probably would have wanted to be alone.

**xxx**

Auggie had a goal once he arrived at DPD. He just hoped the _mission_ wouldn't give him as much trouble as he thought it would. He dropped his things off at his office, grabbed his laser, and then headed off to Joan's office. To his fortune, she was present and currently alone.

"Auggie," she acknowledged his presence. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," he replied bluntly.

"You look it. Sit," she suggested, and he took her up on the offer. "What can I do for you?"

"I need a favor," he told her, fiddling with the laser in his hand. It was now shut off, so he knew it wasn't blindly point in someone's eyes. "I…I need to go back to Glencoe. For a week, at most. I'll be gone and back before you know it."

"Glencoe? As in Glencoe, Illinois? As in the place you haven't been to in over five years? Why would you suddenly need to go to Glencoe for a week?" Joan inquired, piqued at his sudden interest to return to his hometown.

"Because," Auggie told her.

"Because what?" Joan egged him. "You're my best tech specialist and I can't just let you leave for a week _because_ you said so."

"Joan, please, not now," he pleaded, not wanting to start something with _another_ blonde. The little tiff between him and Annie the previous night was enough for a lifetime.

"Auggie, I'm sorry, but I can't let you simply leave to Glencoe without a reason as to why."

"You can, actually," he informed her, "You just don't want to do so. Don't want to let me out of your sight, now?"

"Auggie…no reason, no Glencoe. It's the way things have to be."

"Fine!" he exasperatedly yelled in her office. "Want to know why I need to go to Glencoe? Because my _mother_ died…and instead of getting a phone call informing me that this occurred, I received a letter. A handwritten letter that was then translated into Braille because whoever wrote it remembered afterwards that I was blind and couldn't fucking read!" Auggie was angered now, already gone off the deep end. There was no turning back, not after this. "Is that a good enough reason for you? Or do I need to bring in the letter as evidence?"

"Auggie," Joan said, placing a hand on his shoulder. She could feel his erratic breathing, and with a squeeze of his shoulder, she attempted to calm him down. "You can go."

_Thank you_, he wanted to reply, but he could hear the silent 'but' in her sentence. "_But_ what?"

"You're not going alone," she told him. "With the Hearn leak spreading like wildfire and no one having been caught yet, we can't let our officers go out in the field alone, even if it is for _personal_ business. You're going, but someone's going with you."

Auggie groaned. This was definitely the part that he hated…and part of him saw it coming, too. Now he'd be stuck on this unwanted family reunion of sorts with an officer who wouldn't leave his side and probably think that the reason as to why he was leaving in the first place was to do something frowned upon.

"Who?" he queried, intrigued as to who would be sent with him on a simple trip to Glencoe.

The moment the word left his lips, the faint scent of Jo Malone Grapefruit filled his olfactory. Great, she was here. Could his morning get any worse than it already had gotten?

"Joan, I got those files you requested," Annie said. She acknowledged his presence with a simple, "Auggie."

"Annie," he replied, giving a nod in her direction. He heard her kitten heels turn to leave, when Joan verbally stopped her.

"Yes?" Annie turned and responded. What more Joan could possibly want, she was not sure of, yet there she remained, awaiting to hear whatever it is her superior had to say to her.

"Annie, how would you like to spend a week in Glencoe, Illinois?"


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: **HOLY FXCKIN' SHIT. That's basically what I thought of tonight's episode summed up into three words. In the span of an hour, I hyperventilated three times (maybe four), laughed, almost cried, and wanted to rip up Corman and Ord for throwing in so much frickin' Auggie/Annie into the episode that my head was spinning (and my stomach was doing flops. This was definitely the AUGGIE EPISODE). Yeah, I'll probably start shaking when I watch it the second time at 1 AM, EST.

Now, for shout-outs. This chapter's shout-out goes to ERIN! for contributing the 100th review. I honestly never thought the story would have such popularity, and in just a short time. Thank you! That and for almost sort of helping me get out of one of my hyperventilating episodes tonight...even though like three more followed after I called you, 'cause our texting was lagging.

Thanks to all of those who have read and reviewed thus far! You guys are awesome, really! Now, I'll leave you be. Hope you checked out the previews in your replies! Reviews give previews, simple thing to remember!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs. That belongs to its creators, Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Since Erin and Onelys are both contributing equally (though the former is reminding me of that ficlet/drabble set I should work on), I give them credit where credit is due. Idea's still mine, however. Let's not get philosophical here just yet.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_We are never prepared for what we expect._

James A. Michener, _Caravans  
_

* * *

**Chapter Four**

Annie mentally stopped for a moment, processing what Joan had just told her. A trip to Glencoe, Illinois, out of the blue? Was she supposed to object to it or go along with it?

"Uh…awesome?" she replied, hoping she had given her boss the correct answer.

"It's settled then," Joan decided, authority present in her voice. Her gaze went back to Auggie, who was still sitting in the chair, now looking more annoyed than before. "Auggie, Annie will accompany you to Illinois."

"I'm sorry, what?" Annie inquired, finally understanding to what she had agreed.

"Auggie needs someone to accompany him to Illinois, so you're the woman for the job."

"Joan!" Auggie interjected, angered by her choice of words. "The last thing I need is a guide to do something I'm very capable of doing."

Joan sighed, realizing her mistake. Never did she mean to peg her best tech ops specialist as someone who was incompetent of going to a simple funeral, yet it happened. She couldn't turn back time, so she decided to do the next best thing that came to mind.

"Well, she won't be going with you as your _guide_," Joan informed him. "_We_ can't let our officers go away alone, and it'll be difficult to inform your family that one of your friends decided to tag along without suspicions. Annie will simply pose as your girlfriend."

"What?" both Annie and Auggie interjected at that point.

"We can't—"

"—No—"

"Enough!" Joan held her hand up in silence. "Auggie, if you want to go, these are the terms. For lack of a better phrase: take them or leave them."

Auggie sat there for a moment, contemplating what this would mean. This meant that he would have to spend a week with Annie posing as his girlfriend in Illinois. This meant that he would have to spend a week, with Annie posing as his girlfriend, in Illinois, while he attended his mother's funeral. This meant that he would have to spend a week, with Annie posing as his girlfriend, in Illinois, while he attended his mother's funeral, _and_ while she witnessed just how dysfunctional his family could be (and definitely was).

"Fine," he replied, unaware of what compelled him to give Joan that answer. His mind was screaming that it was a bad idea, but his heart just felt like he owed it to his mother, for not being there when she truly needed him.

"Alright; I'll have a pair of tickets ready for you to leave tomorrow morning. Will that be early enough?"

"Wait a minute," Annie interrupted, not allowing Auggie to give Joan an answer. "Don't I get a say in this, whatsoever?"

"Not this time, Walker. Now back to work, both of you. You have a lot to do before tomorrow morning, and I'm sure neither of you would love to spend the night here finishing it."

"Thank you," Auggie replied, turning on his laser guide and heading out of the office.

Annie could only stand there for a moment, allowing everything to sink in once more. A week with Auggie any other time would have been a grand idea. However, after what occurred last night, Annie wasn't so sure that taking a trip with him to Illinois (not to mention the façade of being his girlfriend) would help their situation—at all.

Before Joan could shoo her out of her office once more, Annie headed back to her desk. She contemplated looking for Auggie, but by the form in which he had left the room, she knew it wouldn't be a good idea. Not yet, at least. So, she decided to head back to her desk, finish the paperwork she had to do, _and_ come up with a good enough excuse to explain to Danielle why she would be leaving to Illinois for a week.

Oh, it was definitely going to be a long week.

**xxx**

"You're going _where _again?" Danielle asked for the umpteenth time.

The first thing Annie had done when she arrived home from work the previous night was inform Danielle of her little trip. She didn't allow her sister to ask any questions as she grabbed her plate of leftovers from the fridge and joined Chloe and Katia for a round or two of Candy Land. After that was done, Annie headed up to the guest house for some much needed sleep.

Joan informed her before she left the office that her ride would be arriving at eight, promptly. It was currently seven o'clock; Annie had finished preparing herself, and was now packing for her week long trip. Since it was Thursday, Michael had _some_ free time to prepare the girls for school while Danielle harassed Annie some more.

"I told you last night. The Smithsonian is sending me to Illinois to take a look at a couple of letters that were written between Lincoln and Douglas during the Senate debates. If they're the real things, which we hope they are, then we're planning on housing them here," Annie told her sister. The cover took Annie almost an hour to come up with, including research and a call or two to the Smithsonian.

"For a whole week?"

Annie shrugged. "If it takes that long, yes."

Annie finished throwing in the last of her needed items (including a black dress that she deemed proper funeral attire) into her luggage bag and began to close it, adding a bit of force on the top in order to zipper it up properly. She had it almost completely closed when Danielle told her she was missing something.

"What?" Annie inquired, hoping that she didn't have to open the damn suitcase again until she arrived at Illinois.

Danielle pointed over to the nightstand—where the bracelet currently rested. "You're not taking it with you? Last time it was like you had separation anxiety issues."

Annie picked up the bracelet, examining each individual shell in her hand. The bracelet, which once signified beautiful memories between her and Ben, was now marred by the friendship she ruined with Auggie. _Was it worth it_? She wanted to ask herself, but had no clue as to what _it_ was, exactly.

"No, not this time," Annie said, dropping it back onto the nightstand and foregoing a second look.

A car horn honked outside, only once, a signal to Annie that her ride to the airport had arrived. Danielle got up from the bed and walked towards the window to peek outside; to her, it would appear to be a simple taxi.

"C'mon," Danielle said, grabbing Annie's luggage bag.

She helped her all the way outside with her bag, both of them walking in silence. They walked all the way to the gate, where they were then greeted by the cab driver who took Annie's luggage bag and placed it in the trunk of the taxi cab.

"Hey," Danielle said to her sister, stopping her midway to the taxi. She walked the rest of the distance and embraced her in a hug. Whispering, she told her, "I'm proud of you."

Annie could only pull away with a small smile, well aware of what she was referring to with those words. "I'll call you when I land," Annie relayed to her sister, compelled to do so. She then walked over to the cab and stepped inside.

Before she closed the door, however, Danielle caught a glimpse of the brunette haired man sitting next to Annie and the relaxed position in which she sat there, next to said man.

The cab sped off before Danielle had a chance to inquire about that.


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N:** So, ain't this a shocker. I'm updating BEFORE the CA episode. Damn, now I won't be able to post my reaction. I guess we'll have to stay tuned 'til next time, no?

Well, this chapter would have had a following chapter done sooner if it wasn't for the fact that my damn iPod was stolen (or REALLY REALLY REALLY misplaced), with a finished Chapter 5 and a started Chapter 6. Call it kismet, but if I hadn't lost that damn thing, then this chapter would not have played out the way it did. So, thanks for that, I guess.

Not much to say at this point. Oh! There's an NCIS reference in here somewhere. Bonus points (in the form of a preview, if I get lazy and don't give out previews, or an _extended_ preview, if I am still lazy and give out previews) to whoever can successfully find the reference and state the characters between which the reference occurred. I hope that sentence made sense.

Shout-out to **Azurite** for being the awesome person who not only reviewed first, but provided me with an awesome review. I look forward to hearing from you again, whenever that'll be!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Covert Affairs_. That belongs to its creators, Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Idea belongs to me...especially that ending coming up once you get there.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_You hesitate to stab me with a word,  
and know not—  
silence is the sharper sword._

Samuel Johnson_  
_

* * *

**Chapter Five**

Annie couldn't believe that someone could manage to stay silent for a period of time as long as Auggie did. All during their taxi ride to Dulles International, Auggie was silent. During their walk through security, Auggie was silent. Hell, the only time Auggie said anything was when he said 'Thank you' to the men who helped him with his luggage off of security.

It was like she was invisible; as if he were traveling alone.

Finally, when they sat down near the gate, Annie decided she had enough. She wasn't going to sit through a two-hour flight in silence with the man, and only have him acknowledge her presence when they arrived.

"So you're not going to speak to me? Is it that you're bothered that I had to tag-along?" Annie inquired, turning to face him. They were seated side by side, carry-on bags in front of them.

Auggie remained in his current position, facing forward. With a sigh, he replied, "You haven't asked. Not once have you asked why you're coming with me to Glencoe."

"Well—I—" Annie stuttered. It made perfect sense as to why he was silent. _He knows_, she thought. There couldn't be any other explanation than that.

"Judging by the lack of privacy within the office, I'm going to assume that Joan informed you of everything." Auggie fiddled with the folded cane in his hand, needing to distract himself with something. "Go ahead, start the pity party."

She was safe, for now at least. He hadn't accused her of reading his personal letters, and she wasn't so sure that she was ready to come out in the open, just yet. They had not reached the subject of what occurred between them two nights ago; Annie did not want to be the first one to bring up the subject, no matter what. It'd be better off if they completely forgot about it, honestly. However, that was easier thought than done.

"Auggie Anderson, wanting pity," Annie stated, turning around and facing her bag once more. "Never though I'd see the day."

"Yeah, well, don't start now. I didn't need it before, and I sure as hell don't need it now."

Annie scoffed. This man was truly unbelievable! "Hey, I'm accompanying you on this trip as a favor."

"_No_," he began, annoyance in his tone. "You're accompanying me because they think that while I'm at my mother's funeral in Glencoe I'll be spreading secrets to Liza Hearn."

"Actually," Annie rebutted, "I'm pretty sure I was sent so that Joan's assured of your return _in one piece_."

Auggie was the one to scoff this time. "Because I come from a family of axe murderers? Is that it?"

Annie looked over at him, an expression of incredulity upon her face. "And how am I supposed to know? It's not like you disclose much about your family."

"It's because sometimes I feel like I don't even have one!" Auggie snapped in the middle of the terminal.

All around him, faces turned to see the source of the voice, yet he paid no mind to them. He could feel their eyes on him, but he didn't care. He was holding so much in at this point, Annie could feel it, but the last thing she wanted was for him to make a scene.

She was about to reach out and place a hand on his, in an apologetic sort of way, but a voice came over the loudspeaker and announced that their flight was currently boarding. In one quick, fluid motion, Auggie unfolded his walking cane and headed off to the terminal gate, carry-on bag in tow.

_That's just great_, Annie thought as she followed him to the gate door. _Things just went from bad to worse._

**xxx**

Midway into the flight the _fasten seatbelt _light had shut off, allowing the passengers to move around the cabin freely. Conversation had ceased between Annie and Auggie a long time ago; that didn't mean the argument was completely out of her mind. In fact, it was the most prominent thing in her mind, and something she wasn't going to let go of easily.

He was sitting in the window seat, leaving Annie with the middle seat. During any other situation she would have pleaded (if needed) for the window seat, but because it was Auggie and because he was in this _mood_, Annie didn't bother. Any other time, she would have simply spoken to the person on the other side of her. This time she was not as lucky, due to the fact that the man had fallen asleep minutes after the plane's take off.

"Excuse me," Auggie said, unbuckling his seatbelt and getting up.

Wordlessly, Annie placed her tray down, purposely creating an obstacle for him. Consider it the child in her, but if Auggie wanted to play that game then so could she. Unforeseen forces had tipped the scales, for the minute he had arisen, a sudden bout of turbulence had hit the plane (if only for a second or two) causing Auggie to stumble and fall. He braced himself from a full on collision with the tray by holding his hands out and holding on to whatever he could—which just so happened to be Annie's armrests. The sudden bombardment of Jo Malone Grapefruit informed him of his proximity to her, something he wasn't ready to experience.

"Sorry," he whispered, attempting to regain his balance while still in a hunched position.

"It's alright," she responded. Just feeling her breath, ever so lightly, on his face was enough to cause his balance to be swayed a bit more.

After a second or two, he managed to find his seat, hearing the ding of the _fasten seatbelt_ sign the moment he sat down. The turbulence had not returned, yet the pilot had taken caution in case it occurred once more.

The silence between them was excruciatingly painful for him, for not even on her brush pass missions had they this long without a friendly word spoken to each other. The silence was killing him, it truly was, but he didn't know what to say to her to make things better. Hell, he was not even sure that anything he said _could_ make things better.

So the silence ensued. Neither one could find the _right_ words to say to one another nor realized that perhaps _I'm sorry_ would suffice.

Before they knew it, one of the flight attendants announced their arrival and landing, which would occur in less than ten minutes. Two flight attendants walked from end to end of the plane, collecting the last bit of garbage and providing information when asked.

Annie was the first who decided she had enough. She did not plan on spending her time in Glencoe silent and not talking to him. Hell, she didn't mind if he decided to ignore Joan's instructions on playing boyfriend and girlfriend, but acting like she was a random enemy who decided to tag along was something she was not going to do.

"Alright, if I did something wrong just tell me—and please, don't give me that 'it's not you, it's me,' crap," Annie told him, adjusting her body ever so slightly and facing him.

Auggie's head was resting on the window; just the feeling of the sun on his face was calming enough. Upon hearing Annie speak to him, he lifted his head and turned towards her as well. "Annie, did you ever stop and think that perhaps I never wanted you coming along on this trip with me?" His tone of voice was something he should have paid closer attention to, since he couldn't see the expression upon Annie's face.

Annie scoffed. "Is there ever a point in time when you're not a jerk lately?"

Subconsciously, Auggie's buttons were pushed. This feat surprised him, seeing as it was anything and everything that managed to do that to him as of lately. "Ever notice it only happens around you lately?"

Annie let out a muffled scream, seconds away from going to the bathroom and throwing a private tantrum. How could this man be so…infuriating and at the same time calm?

The plane landed sometime between their conversation, however neither one noticed due to their near argument. Passengers clapped; the pilot announced their time. Once the plane came to a complete stop, people began getting up from their seats and reaching into the overhead compartment for their belongings.

Once the aisle was clear enough, Annie reached into their overhead compartment and grabbed Auggie's bag first. Rather forcefully, she placed it in his arms then grabbed her own, following the mass of people stepping off the plane, disappearing within the crowd, and leaving Auggie behind. A fog of anger clouded her mind, causing her to react in such an impulsive and childish way; in that split moment Annie decided that she'd be better off staying at a hotel in Chicago instead of tagging along to Glencoe.

She was halfway past Baggage Claim and subsequently halfway to the exit when she felt a grip on her arm stop her and turn her around. She was confronted with a slightly frazzled Auggie wearing an expression of both anger and worry on his face.

"Could you—for once—not run away in the middle of me attempting to say something to you?" he inquired, leaning on his cane for support.

It was now Annie's turn to bite back. "For what? For you to continue telling me how much you _didn't_ want me to come with you?"

"It's not that, okay? Damn it, Annie, you're sending me mixed signals here! How the hell do you expect me to react after you just up and leave in the middle of whatever we were going to do…the same night I find out that my mother passed away?" His face was starting to turn red and for a moment she could see some spark behind those dark eyes.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, not knowing what else to do to calm. "Auggie, don't start a scene."

"Too late, Annie!" he burst. "I am in _full_ scene mode."

Pulling him off to the side, Annie began speaking once more, "Well, what else did you expect me to do? You weren't exactly in the right state of mind, you know!"

"You think you made it any better by _kissing_ me?"

Annie let out another muffled scream in response to his words. There wasn't a bathroom in sight for her to throw her tantrum, and he could easily follow her if she did leave. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Any guess as to which Auggie was?

"Alright," Annie complied, a bit more calmed than previously, "so you were clearly bothered by the kiss. I won't kiss you anymore. Are we done here?"

Auggie laughed, and it wasn't a hilarity sort of laugh, but an incredulity sort of laugh. "My God, don't you get it?" The twinkle was back in his eyes, and a genuine grin now graced his face—one like she had not seen in a long time. "Annie, I couldn't stop thinking about that kiss ever since you left—and after you did leave I came to the conclusion that I didn't want that to be it. Kiss me now, kiss me whenever, so long as that kiss won't be the last one!"

If Annie's jaw could touch the ground, it probably would be right about now. She could not believe the words that had come out of his mouth, and she wasn't so sure she _wanted _to believe them—not yet, at least.

She was seconds away from replying back to such a heavy comment from him when an unfamiliar voice (at least to her) called out Auggie's name from the exit doors. Auggie's head immediately turned towards the source of the voice.

"Abril?" he muttered under his breath. The approaching sound of clanking boots gained his full-on attention.

"Auggie!" the woman said, immediately wrapping her arms around him and engulfing him in a tight embrace.

"I can't believe it's you!" he replied, returning the embrace.

Annie could only stand off to the side and wonder who this woman was and what was her relation with Auggie. The fact that the little green monster reared its way into the back of her mind just put her back between that rock and that hard place.

She should have ran away the moment she had a chance.


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Yes, I'm very much aware that today is not Tuesday. It's...Saturday. Yeah, Saturday. I figured I'd post now, seeing as Tuesday's going to be possibly hectic for me. Update will be...whenever I finish the next chapter, yeah? I have a Tumblr now (check homepage), so you can follow me there and have a clue as to when it'll be!

Feelings towards this past week's CA: where the hell was Auggie in this episode? Poor guy got about ten minutes, tops, and then the rest of it was Ben throwing Annie into danger and Jai trying to schmooze Annie. He was on my good list (Jai) but he's inching his way off of it. Well, in all actuality his list might be renamed. Because so says Erin, I don't have one set list, I have a general categorized name for people. Individually, too.

I lost track of how many people guessed correctly, but woohoo to you guys! Congrats to all of those who earned a preview of this chapter. Hope the preview intrigued you all! As you'll probably notice, these chapters are starting to get longer. Hope this chapter was to all of your liking! Bonus points to those who can guess the ethnic origins of the names of the brothers.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Covert Affairs. That belongs to its creators, Matt Corman and Chris Ord. Idea's morphed even more...so I'm not sure what to say about it anymore.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_Emotion turning back on itself,  
and not leading on to thought or action,  
is the element of madness._

John Sterling_  
_

* * *

**Chapter Six**

Annie wasn't one to interrupt reunions, but the fact that she was currently _out of the loop_ was cause enough to do so. Tapping her black Christian Loubouton heel on the ground and clearing her throat, she attempted to not be rude about it. However, they were the ones being rude, being all "I missed you" without so much as a simple introduction her way.

After the small reunion was over, Auggie turned his attention towards Annie. A full-blown smile was on his face and his arm was wrapped around the woman's waist. Any outside party could assume that these two were an item (surely, it was what Annie was assuming). She was the same height as her, yet her skin was fair and her hair was jet black.

"Annie, I'd like you to meet _Abril Anderson_, my cousin."

Annie let out a breath she wasn't aware she was holding. So they were family and not something of the past? I guess she didn't have to worry anymore. Annie extended her hand out to the woman and shook it, putting a smile on her face. "It's very nice to meet you. Annie Walker."

"So you're _the_ Annie Walker," Abril said, giving her a once over.

Annie let out a nervous laugh. "I'm sorry. I wasn't aware that there was another _Annie Walker_ out there."

Abril laughed, somewhat ignoring her comment. She turned her attention to Auggie, who currently had a grin on his face. "She's definitely prettier than you described her."

He waved a hand across his face, unseeing all along. "Hello…have you forgotten about this?"

"Don't use that as an excuse, mister." Abril slapped him on the shoulder. "You and I both know that you can spot out a woman better than Fevrier, any day of the week."

Auggie laughed in response. "He'll murder you if he hears you say that."

The pair began to walk out of the airport, reminiscing about the past and trading memories back and forth. Undoubtedly, Annie was left with both her and Auggie's bags. How was it possible that in less than ten minutes she had gone from being part of the group to being the _third wheel_?

The whole name mentioning thing Abril had brought up during their introductions was another matter entirely. As Annie stepped into the vehicle, taking the back seat while Auggie took the passenger's seat, she couldn't help but wonder exactly how much this family (or at least Abril) knew about her. Situations like these could freak anyone out for a lifetime, if dwelled upon for much.

**xxx**

The forty minute drive from Chicago to Glencoe was nothing compared to the flight they had previously endured. At least now he was talking-that was something, wasn't it? The only problem with the situation was that he was not outright talking to her, but talking through his cousin to her.

What had happened?

Just moments ago at the airport he was going on about wanting to kiss her again, yet the moment his _cousin_ showed up he turned into something completely different. She hated to admit it to herself, but perhaps they had returned back to square one—and not the first day _I'm meeting you _square one but the _worse than strangers_ square one. Enemies wouldn't count in this situation, because at least they would have some sort of past to build upon.

After taking a couple of turns here and there, it seemed as though Abril had driven straight into the middle of suburbia. Or Hell. If Annie had to deal with what she dealt with on the plane for an entire week, it sure would be Hell (for her at least). The house she pulled up next to simply oozed normalcy, something she wasn't really expecting from Auggie Anderson.

"You grew up here?" Annie inquired, stepping out of the car and shutting the door. "It seems so…normal."

"Believe it or not, I was normal once."

"It'll take a while for me to wrap my head around that." Annie couldn't help but smile at the feel of his grip on her elbow. Perhaps she had jumped to conclusions when she said that they had regressed to square one. "Are you the only one that's here now, Abril?"

"Abbie, please," Abril first replied. "And no, I'm not. We're a full house right about now. Soon to be fuller once Fevrier arrives with his girl of the week."

Auggie's head turned in her direction. "Girl of the week? So he still hasn't changed his ways, I hear."

"Nope." Abril popped her 'p'. "You're going to get a kick out of her when he brings her."

Annie interjected for a moment, wanting to voice a thought that had been lingering in the back of her mind from the moment they first encountered Abril at the airport. "Wait a minute. Fevier…as in _February_? Abril as in _April_? And _August? _Are there any more Andersons with months for names I should be worried about?"

Auggie laughed, letting his cane _click_ and _clack_ as he walked the familiar path towards his childhood front door. "Now why would I ruin the surprise for you?" He winked at Annie, knowing it was successful once he heard her chuckle in response.

Abril stepped in front of the two and picked out a key from her keychain. Placing it into the lock and giving it a small push, she opened the door. "Welcome to the Anderson abode," she said, holding the door open for Annie and Auggie. The minute Abril turned around, two kids ran past her, almost knocking over a vase on an end table. "You kids break that and I'm personally taking it out of your allowance!"

"Were those…?" Auggie trailed off, following the sound of the rowdy kids with a turn of his head.

"Yeah, those were Gen's kids. He's around here somewhere."

Abril lead the two into the kitchen where a man was currently chopping some carrots and throwing them into a giant pot. All around him were various pieces of a meal: chicken, cilantro, noodles, and the works. The man was extremely focused, and tall. Boy, was he tall. Perhaps an inch or two taller than Auggie, with hair a shade or two lighter than his.

"Gennaro," Abril spoke, walking towards him. The man did not react, simply continuing with what he was doing. Abril tapped him in the shoulder, causing him to jump in fright. Annie noticed a set of headphones in his ears, which attributed to the lack of hearing or response. "Gennaro, Auggie's here!"

"Who?" the man inquired, removing a headphone.

"Auggie!"

Just as the man was about to inquire further into the matter, he caught sight of someone he was surprised to see. "Auggie…" the man whispered, shocked to see him before his eyes.

"Hey Gen." Auggie relinquished his hold on Annie's elbow and took a step forward. The man before here wasn't the same man who had boarded a plane back in D.C. Now that he was in the presence of Gennaro, it was as though he had transformed. His shell was cracking, and this man had something to do with it.

In an instant, Gennaro walked around the island and engulfed Auggie in a hug. Auggie returned the embrace with equal strength, laughing from the excitement of the situation. Annie had to take a step back from it all, once again feeling like she was intruding on a private moment in Auggie's life. She understood now why he didn't want her coming with him.

Gennaro was the first one to pull away; on both of their faces were hundred-watt smiles. Annie couldn't help but smile as well, feeling as though all of the joy and happiness in the room was contagious.

"Annie, this is my older brother Gennaro." _January_, Annie thought as she shook Gennaro's hand. "Gennaro, this is Annie Walker, my—"

"Girlfriend, we know," Gennaro cut him off. "It's nice to finally meet _the_ Annie Walker."

Both Annie and Auggie became speechless at that moment. They were well aware of the cover that Joan had told them to use, but once they landed they didn't believe that they were going to have to use it. Hearing it come out of someone's mouth (someone who wasn't Joan or part of the DPD) was a shocking feeling entirely.

"Sit," Gennaro instructed them, referring to the stools on the opposite side of the island. "Lunch should be ready soon, and we have some catching up to do."

Gennaro informed them of everything that was occurring at Glencoe, from him and his wife expecting a third child to Abril finally finding someone. Annie also learned many things about the Anderson family—more than Auggie had told her.

Abril was the same age as Annie and had grown up with the family; she apparently spent so much time in this particular Anderson household that they occasionally considered her the youngest (although it was Auggie). When Auggie's mother became really sick, Abril decided to move in with her, instead of letting her hire a nurse to take care of her. This added a bit more to her daily commute, but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make.

Gennaro, known simply as Gen, was the eldest of the Anderson boys. He had moved one town over to Northbrook when he married his wife, Olivia, and since then they've had two children: boys named Noah and Evan. Gen worked in Chicago as the head chef of his own restaurant (which would explain the delicious aroma from lunch), against his father's wishes. He was supposed to be a lawyer, but quit law school to attend culinary school.

During the middle of their catching up (a big informational moment for Annie), Olivia joined them. Two other men joined their group an hour or so afterwards, introducing themselves as Marcius (March) and Joulis (July). They resembled each other a lot, and if Annie wasn't informed that they were a year and a half apart in age she would have believed them to be twins.

By the time introductions and reunions were finished, all of the soup had disappeared and it was close to three in the afternoon. Fortunately for Annie, jetlag was something she had grown accustomed to, due to the numerous trips abroad. Auggie however, seemed to be handling things a bit differently. He appeared tired, and she wasn't sure if it was the emotional toll of everything or the family reunion wearing him out.

"One of you guys mind getting our bags? I wanna give Annie a tour of the place." Annie arose from her seat at the same time Auggie did, looping her hand through his and allowing him to lead the way, for the most part.

"Yeah, sure," Marcius agreed. He grabbed the keys from Abril's extended hand and headed outside to grab the bags that were in her trunk.

"Stairs?" Auggie inquired, unfolding his cane to take note of the objects surrounding him.

Annie led him to the staircase, allowing him to lead the rest of the way. Once they reached the top of the landing, he was aware of his surroundings enough that he could point everything out in an instant. Apparently, not much had changed since he last visited. He pointed out is brothers' rooms (Gennaro and Fevrier shared rooms while Marcius and Joulis did the same), his parents' room, and then stopped at the end of the hall in front of a door. "This is my room."

"The youngest child got his own room? Isn't the oldest one supposed to get that privilege?" Annie joked.

"Yeah, well, the room was a hell of a lot smaller than the other rooms." He opened the door and held it open for her, allowing her to walk inside and get a glimpse of Auggie's past—before the accident and before the CIA. "There was one stipulation to the room. Well two, actually."

"And what was that?"

"The room was right next to my parents'. With these walls being paper thin, I didn't have much privacy. That and my bed had to be smaller than everyone else's."

Annie laughed. "If it makes you feel any better, I never got the top bunk when I was a child."

"Thanks." Letting go of Annie, Auggie walked around the room, feeling his way around it once more; checking to see if everything was the way he left it. "You can sleep here. I'll bunk with Marcius or Joulis for the trip. Unless…" he hesitated for a moment, trying to pinpoint where she was. "Unless you aren't comfortable here. There's a hotel within the city and we can rent a room or two."

"No, it's fine. I'm fine here." Annie placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Your family's great. Don't worry about it."

Auggie smiled in return; he was glad to see that they hadn't scared her off, yet. Then again, Fevrier hadn't arrived and he wasn't in the middle of an argument with him. Only time would tell what she thought of the Andersons afterwards.

"Can I ask you something?" Annie inquired.

Auggie turned towards her, dark eyes unfocused. "Yeah, anything." He had learned a long time ago to brace himself for Annie Walker's questions. No matter if he had signed off on general questions or not, she would ask them either way.

"Auggie, what you said back there, in the airport: did you mean it?"

Auggie hesitated. "That depends." In that moment, what had occurred in the airport after their landing returned to his mind. He recalled exactly what he said to her; sure at the time he was worried that she was going to up and leave him in the middle of O'Hare International. So he said something, _anything_ that could make her stay and not run away.

"Depends on what?" she quickly retorted.

He replied with the only thing that still lingered on his mind: "If you feel the same way."


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I find it funny that I'm hearing _Dog Days _I'm posting this. Gosh, it's late. EST its late, and I still have homework to do. I'll decide on that in a few.I'll say now that I don't know when this is going to be updated next, so my Tuesday schedules have gone out of whack. If it's been more than a month and I haven't updated, I give you full permission to pester me about it.

Sincerest apologies for going almost two or three weeks without updating! School got the best of me and I got stuck a billion and one times on certain parts. That and I started a new story called _Can You Save Me_? You should all check it out 'cause that would make me a very happy author. That and I posted a one-shot, called _Cosmic Love_. Mood set by the song of the same title, performed by Florence + The Machine, and the writing is based on the season finale.

Speaking of which...I don't think I want to really speak about it. I'm dealing with all of those issues over in _Can You Save Me_? As you've probably noticed by now, this one doesn't really go past episode 1.04 - No Quarter. Don't ask me why. It might, though, but I don't want to re-work the idea just to accommodate whatever the show's done.

Thanks to everyone that reviewed the last chapter! I can't believe I got as many reviews as I did, and I wouldn't have reached that amount if it wasn't for those who sit down and take the time to leave a little love! Mille grazie!

**Disclaimer: **Covert Affairs belongs to Matt Corman and Chris Ord.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_Heart skipped a beat.  
And when I caught it you were out of reach.  
But I'm sure, I'm sure you've heard it before._

_Heart Skipped a Beat_, The XX

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

_"Depends on what?" she quickly retorted._

_He replied with the only thing that still lingered on his mind: "If you feel the same way."_

Annie opened her mouth, but no words came out. _Speak!_ she mentally commanded herself. _Reply! Say something!_ No matter what she tried, her vocal cords just wouldn't work at the moment. Was he saying what she thought he was saying? Did Auggie actually have strong feelings for her?

Annie hesitated for too long; waited too long to give him an answer. Because of this, he did the only natural thing one could do in a situation like this—assume the worst. Of course, he didn't want to do so, but that is why the phrase _jumping to conclusions_ arose.

"I get it." Auggie turned for the door, unable to physically face her at the moment. "You don't feel the same way. I'll just pick up all of my cards and walk out of here with my tail between my legs. Nothing new." He bit his bottom lip out of habit. "I just thought that this time would be different—that _you_ would be different."

The moment he opened the door and stepped outside, Annie's heart broke. She wondered why she simply didn't blurt out to him that she loved him. Because she did! At least, she believed she did. After that night, her mind had been uncertain about many a things, especially when they related to Auggie.

The little part of her heart with a Ben-shaped hole prevented her from expressing her full feelings towards Auggie. It was that little part (the part that was certainly smaller than the Auggie-shaped part) that made her second guess and doubt her feelings for Auggie. It was that little part that made her worry about a ruined friendship between her and Auggie. Most of all, it was that small, little piece that made her afraid to jump into any relationship, for fear that it might result in the same way it did with Ben.

He just had to understand that, didn't he?

Minutes passed before Annie realized that she owed him an explanation, at least. She took a deep breath before getting up from her seat on the bed and walking towards the door. Annie was seconds from colliding with someone's back, but luckily stopped before the collision would occur. From her stance behind Auggie's back, she noticed a man standing there, same dark brown hair and dark eyes as Auggie.

"Is this her?" the man in front of Auggie asked, pointing a finger directly at Annie. She felt exposed at that moment, as if she were caught in some kind of compromising position with Auggie. The man, however, appeared to be angered by the fact that she was merely standing there.

"Fevrier, back off." Auggie straightened up a bit, taking a somewhat protective stance in front of Annie.

"No!" Fevrier shouted. The smell of alcohol reverberated from him, and just by that Annie knew he was the mean kind of drunk. "You don't show up for five years, and the moment you decide to come back you bring someone with you?"

"Hey!" Annie shouted, having had enough of Fevrier's words.

"Annie, stay out of this," Auggie advised her, his back now facing his brother. Gennaro, Marcius, and Joulis stood aside while Olivia and Abbie remained by the staircase. None of them got involved, seeing where exactly this would lead.

"No, Auggie, leave her," Fevrier told his brother. "Let her try to explain how she's _not_ a gold-digging whore who decided to tag along just to gain whatever you get from the will!"

That was the sentence that caused Auggie to snap. In one quick, fluid motion, he pivoted on his heel and punched Fevrier directly in the jaw. The force of the punch caused Fevrier to stumble back; almost immediately, Gennaro ran to hold Auggie back while Marcius and Joulis restrained Fevrier.

"Say something else, Fevrier, and you'll see how fast I can break your nose," Auggie threatened, all the while trying to get out of Gennaro's hold.

Fevrier laughed a maniacal kind of laugh that sent chills down Annie's spine. "You going to fight all of her battles now?"

"So help me God—"

"Get him out of here, now!" Gennaro shouted, holding on to a now frantic Auggie. "And you: calm down, all right?"

The minute he let go of him, Auggie turned and walked back into his room, slamming his door shut in the process. Annie, being the closest to the door (and encounter in general) jumped a bit due to shock. Never before had she seen Auggie act this way—not even towards Jai, and he had some hidden (not so hidden) resentment towards the man.

Annie turned to knock on the door when Abbie grabbed her and stopped her. "He needs a minute or two to cool down," she informed her.

"This has happened before?"

Gennaro nodded his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Auggie and Fevrier don't have the best brotherly relationship."

"No kidding," Annie muttered.

Olivia, who was off to the side, now walked towards Annie and linked their arms together. "C'mon," she told the blonde. "We'll take a walk while he cools down."

Annie didn't have time to protest before a pregnant woman and a combat-clad cousin led her downstairs and towards the back door.

**xxx**

Part of Annie was freaked out that Auggie's family had taken a quick liking to her, but a bigger part of her was glad that they did. Honestly, she was going in blind here, and going by the outburst he gave at the airport, she thought she would be in for one hell of a ride. Then again, maybe Fevrier was that trip to Hell that wasn't quite over yet.

"Do you have any idea as to what it's going to be?" Annie asked Olivia.

The three girls were sitting on a bench swing facing the small lake that encompassed a portion of the Anderson backyard. Olivia was to one side of Annie while Abbie was on the other. They all swung quietly, simply gazing out into the horizon as the sun began to set, filling the sky with a vast array of colours.

"Oh, definitely a boy," Olivia replied with all of the confidence in the world.

"And you guys have gone to the doctor's to check and see the sex?"

"No need." Olivia rubbed her swollen belly, now halfway through her pregnancy. "Gennaro's an Anderson. It's granted that this one's going to be a boy."

"Does that make any sense whatsoever?" Annie turned and questioned Abbie.

Abbie nodded. "It seems as though God's only graced the Anderson males with the Y-chromosome. Generations of Andersons have proven this that it's now considered a scientific fact."

Annie laughed. "Oh really? But you're an Anderson, Abbie."

"Only by name," the girl admitted. "Norah and Donald, Auggie's parents, adopted me when I was seventeen so that I wouldn't have to go through the system. My dad was Norah's brother. I never bothered to change my name afterward."

"Oh." Annie didn't know what to say at that moment. Abbie revealed information to her that one normally wouldn't admit to someone they just met that day, but it just proved even more how they had taken a quick liking to her.

"Who knows," Olivia whispered, nudging Annie in the shoulder. "Perhaps Auggie will be the exception to the rule." Annie's jaw dropped at that instant, causing Abbie to begin laughing at her reaction. Well Olivia sure was blunt about things. Getting up from the bench, she extended her hand out, helping Annie up as well. "Let's go back inside. I have a feeling my husband's slaving over a stove once more, and it'll be a miracle if Marcius and Joulis haven't turned the house upside down with my boys."

As all three girls headed back to the house, a mop of brunette hair stepped outside. For an instant, Annie thought it was one of the not-really-twins-twins Marcius or Joulis (or worse—Fevrier), but the moment she saw the white cane she knew it was Auggie. Instead of walking further than the porch of the house would allow, he stepped off to the side and took a seat on one of the benches.

Abbie passed by him first, giving his shoulder a light squeeze, before stepping inside. Olivia was the second one to pass by him, crouching down and whispering something in his ear before placing a kiss on his forehead. He reached out for her hand and gave it a squeeze, and from where Annie was standing she could see his lips say, "Thank you."

Now it was her turn to face the blind man sitting by the door. "Auggie…" she said, not knowing what else to say to him. She had royally screwed up before, and she didn't know where to begin in her apology.

"Annie."

"Can we talk?" she tentatively asked.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding his head at the same time. He scooted an inch over on the bench, giving her more room than she needed. Annie sat down and turned towards him, one leg tucked under the other while one of her knees touched his thigh.

"You punched your brother for me." Well that certainly wasn't how she wanted to start their conversation. An apology was supposed to be worked in there somewhere.

Auggie tensed up at that point. Apparently, that statement was totally left field for him as well. "You're my friend," he simply said. "Call me protective."

A frown inadvertently appeared on her face. She was expecting something else, something other than simply _friends_. Then again, she had no one to blame but herself for that. "Friends? Is that all we are?" It appeared as though her mind was voicing everything in her thoughts, because she could have sworn that she was only thinking that.

He shrugged, folded cane resting on his lap. "I don't know. You tell me."

She didn't know what to say. Luckily, her mind solved the problem for her. Unfortunately, it voiced the first thing it thought of: "Auggie, I'm scared."

Auggie incredulously laughed. Not one of those I-find-this-funny laughs, but I-can't-believe-you're-saying-this laughs. "Annie, if you think I'm going to leave you in the middle of the night like that guy did, then I'm appalled that you don't know me better than that by now."

"It's not that…well, it is that, but that's not the whole reason." She placed a hand on his forearm, causing his head to turn in her direction. His gaze was so intense for a blind guy that for a moment she forgot that fact. "I never really had stability in my life while growing up. And then one day I met you and our friendship became one of the most stable things in my life. I don't want to lose that—or you."

He placed a hand on hers, turning so that his body was facing hers as well. "I thought you'd have realized by now: I'm not going anywhere."

"I know that, but—"

Auggie let out a frustrated sigh and in that same quick motion as he did in the airport, he unfolded his cane and got up.

"Hey!" Annie interjected, grabbing his arm and stopping him in his tracks. "Could you—for once—not run away in the middle of me attempting to say something to you?"

Auggie grinned, somewhat surprised that his own words had been used against him. "Continue," he told her, slightly amused.

"Thank you," she huffed. "As I was _saying_: I know you're not going anywhere…but that still doesn't quell the fear, and in no way, shape, or form is it your fault, nor does it justify me taking it out on you." Annie took a deep breath, preparing herself for what she really wanted to say. "I guess what I'm saying is: I want to give us a shot. Just you and me."

Auggie went silent, face completely stoic. Annie was afraid she did something—said something—wrong. And then: "You know, I should get some kind of reward for defending your honor against my brother. That messed up my shoulder a bit."

"How's this?" She grabbed him by the collar and kissed him. This kiss wasn't like the other one, completely rushed and all heat of the moment. No, this one was pure joy and a sigh of 'finally' mixed in to one.

"Well," he said, once they pulled away, "my shoulder still hurts. I'm sure you'll find a way to fix that later."

Annie laughed. "You're incorrigible."

"So I've been told," he told her with a grin and then pulled her back in for another kiss.


	9. Interlude I

**A/N:** Why, you may ask? Because I can. That and because I'm totally stumped as to how to proceed from Chapter 7. So I decided to bring back some plot. We all needed a bit of a refresher, no?

It's confusing. Tied in with the quote and relating back to the prologue, this is supposed to be very confusing. But you're supposed to be confused, or at least trying to make sense of it all. Remember, next time you see an update, it'll be a continuation of what's going on in Glencoe.

I'll leave you all with that.

**Disclaimer_: _**Covert Affairs belongs to Matt Corman and Chris Ord.

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum**_**  
**_:Deeds of the Saints:

_The word 'bipartisan' means  
some larger-than-usual deception  
is being carried out._

George Carlin_  
_

* * *

**Interlude I**

Arthur Campbell looked up from the files on his desk to see his wife, Joan Campbell, taking a quick glance outside before shutting the door and locking it.

"Are we safe to talk in here?"

He nodded, closing the manila folders and placing them aside.

"Their flight arrived a couple of hours ago."

"Did Officer Brock take notice of anyone picking them up at the airport?"

"A female," Joan replied, sitting down in the seat across from him and folding her hands atop a knee. "Auggie's cousin, Abril Anderson."

"Any suspicious activities in your department?" Arthur inquired.

"Nothing as far as I could tell." Joan paused. "Are you sure you picked the right person to relay the polygraph information to?"

"Officer Lacey's a good man. A very _talkative_ man, too. I'm sure he'll have no problem spreading around my 'suspicion' of Anderson—or Walker, for that matter."

Joan nodded, still unsure about the matter before her. "Arthur, if I have to inform my operatives of what we're doing here—"

"You won't hesitate to do so. I know. Trust me on this, Joan. If the leak thinks that Anderson and Walker are the ones we're focused on, he or she will go about their business, get too cocky, and slip."

"I hope so. If either one of them is harmed because of this, it's on you."

"Duly noted."

The director of DPD got up and proceeded to the door. Before she left however, she had one more thing to ask.

"And the phone taps?"

"Switched to disconnected numbers in Delaware."

"Thank you." With that, Joan Campbell left his office.

Once the doors were closed, Arthur Campbell sighed. All of this seemed much easier on paper.


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Want to take a guess as to what time it is right now? Yeah, that's right. It's 3 AM EST. Guess what I did for the past three hours? I sat down and wrote _this_ for all of _you_ because I haven't updated in a while. Sorry, I got distracted by other projects. Updates will hopefully be regularly coming on Sundays for this story, since I'm making some type of schedule for each of my stories. I figured I might as well have one for this one as well.

Thanks to all those who read and reviewed and added to alerts! I feel as though I've lost a couple of readers between before and now, and I really do hope that isn't the case. But hey, you can't be liked by everyone all the time.

_But you guys should totally appreciate the fact that I stayed up until 3 AM, to write this for you and forewent sleep (I have to be up by five something), by reviewing. That would be lovely._

**Disclaimer:** Matt Corman and Chris Ord own. Idea? All me, though._  
_

* * *

**Acta Sanctorum  
**:Deeds of the Saints:

_I think we dream so we don't have to be apart so long. _  
_If we're in each other's dreams, _  
_we can play together all night. _

_Calvin & Hobbes_, Bill Watterson

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

A soft knock on the door woke Annie up. Somewhat frightened, she sat up in the bed. She didn't recall falling asleep, yet it had happened. Looking outside, she noticed that it was well past evening. What the hell just happened?

"Annie, you all right in there?" a familiar voice inquired from the door. The person opened the door just a bit, letting in the light from the hallway.

"Abbie?" Annie inquired, rubbing the small semblance of sleep from her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Close to seven." Abril walked into the room, reaching over and turning the light on in the process. "Sorry," she apologized, taking note of the stinging in Annie's eyes. "You've been out for a couple of hours. I thought you were used to the jet-lag."

"I thought so too," Annie admitted. For a moment, Annie let all of the thoughts rush back into her mind. _That dream was just so vivid…and it wasn't real? What in God's name was going on?_ "Where's Auggie?"

"Downstairs. He's ticked off about something and won't talk about it. The fact that Fevrier's here isn't making things any better."

"I figured after that punch to the jaw he wouldn't be back."

Abril laughed. "Punch to the jaw? You sure you're still not sleeping?"

Annie shook her head. What was she talking about? After a couple of blinks, a stretch or two, Annie realized that she had probably dreamt of everything. Well, everything except that argument between her and Auggie. The dream would explain why Fevrier was one big blur in her mind and just a semblance of his younger brother.

"I'm fine," she replied after a while. "Downstairs, you said?"

Abbie nodded. "I actually came to get you. Gen's almost done with dinner and he's big on family meals. He didn't want you sleeping through your first family dinner at the Anderson abode."

After composing herself a bit, Annie followed the dark haired girl downstairs. Halfway down the staircase though, a thought occurred to Annie. Without thinking, she inquired what was on her mind.

"Abbie, are you adopted?"

That stopped the girl in her tracks. A look of pure astonishment graced her face. After a small moment, the look vanished, being replaced by a small smile. "Auggie must have told you. Yeah, Norah and Donald adopted me so that I wouldn't have to go into the system. My mom never listened when her sister, Norah, would tell her to write a will. But hey, things worked out in the end."

It was Annie's turn to stand shocked on the middle of the staircase. Their names were Norah and Donald? How the hell did she manage to dream up their names as well? A small headache was forming in the forefront of Annie's mind by just thinking about all of this. Perhaps Auggie had mentioned their names once before. She couldn't have just dreamt details of his family, could she?

Shaking the thoughts aside, Annie followed Abbie to the dining room, where everyone was seated. As she took a quick glance around the table, a new person had joined them. Annie was somewhat surprised when that person bore a strong resemblance to the other Anderson boys, and when her mind put two and two together, she realized who it was.

"And who's this?" the man inquired, getting up from his seat. Auggie followed suit, standing up in between Annie and this man.

"Fevrier, this is Annie. Annie, this is Fevrier, the second oldest Anderson."

"Nice to meet you," Annie said, extending her hand out.

"Pleasure's all mine," Fevrier returned, shaking her hand. Something about him just _oozed_ Casanova. Annie mentally scoffed. And she thought Auggie was a player. (Well, he still was…probably not as much as Fevrier, though.)

"Are you done now?" Auggie asked Fevrier.

Fevrier simply laughed at his little brother. He held out the chair for Annie, allowing her to sit down while Auggie sat down to her left. Fevrier then took his seat, allowing Gen to begin with the dinner process.

They said grace (something Annie hadn't done since she was child) and afterwards began to eat. There was almost three times the amount of food than Annie was accustomed to seeing at Danielle's house and within an hour's time all of it would practically vanish. The Anderson boys were not ashamed of eating and neither were the Anderson women. Gen especially took pride in all of it, and Annie wondered just how long she was out that he managed to cook all of the food.

**xxx**

"Picture time!" Marcius shouted, pulling out an album from one of the shelves in the living room.

After dinner and clean up, everyone headed off to the living room for some "bonding time." According to Gennaro, this bonding time would include some pictures and home videos, in remembrance of Norah Anderson. To Annie, this seemed like any normal family tradition. Then again, something about it had Auggie agitated next to her.

Thinking about the day, Annie mentally sighed. Since she awoke from that bizarre dream, she hadn't had a chance to talk to him. Although her dream showed her what _could_ possibly happen between the two of them, there was still a part of her (a very stubborn part of her) that wouldn't give up the past so easily. Of course, there was a slim to none chance that Auggie would turn out to be like _him_, but that didn't quell the fear.

"Are you all right?" she asked him, once they were all seated comfortably in the living room. She attempted to place a comforting hand on his, but the moment she did so he moved his hand.

"Fine," he replied, emotionless and stoic.

Annie sat there feeling like a major screw-up. Out of all the people in her life, Auggie was perhaps the last person who deserved to be treated like she treated him; used like she used him. She was a tease, she realized. After all, she was the one who initiated the kiss between the two of them. If she really thought about it, she was the one who took advantage of him while he was inebriated.

The two of them sat in silence as the rest of the Andersons flipped among picture after picture, recounting tales or inside jokes. After a while of hearing all of this, Auggie unfolded his cane and stepped out of the living room, unnoticed by all but Noah and Evan. The two little boys (who admired their uncle so much, Annie had learned), forewent "family bonding" and followed their uncle out of the living room.

Unnoticed, Annie managed to slip out of the living room as well. She decided to go in search of Auggie, yet she stopped her search once she heard voices coming from the kitchen she stopped just before the doorway, listening in on a private conversation between Auggie and his nephews. The three of them sat on the stools around the island, each with a glass of milk and a package of chocolate chip cookies opened before them.

"Tell us more about her, Uncle Auggie!" Noah, the eldest, pleaded.

"Well," Auggie began, dipping his cookie into the glass of milk, "she's smart. Funny. A kind person. She'd do anything to save you if you were in trouble. And she's…_beautiful._"

"But Uncle Auggie," Evan said, "you can't _see_ her."

"Evan!" his older brother scolded him. "Dad said you're not supposed to say that!"

"But it's true!"

"Fine then, mister." Auggie laughed, grabbing the cookie out of his nephew's hand (and by some reason knowing and succeeding in that), "If I can't _see_ her, then why don't you tell what she looks like."

At that point, Evan caught sight of Annie standing by the doorway. He waved at her, grabbing Noah's attention in the process. Noah, too, then glanced over to her, causing a cheeky smile to appear on his face as well.

"Well, her hair looks like…"

"The sun!" Noah completed for him.

"Yeah! The sun!"

"What about her eyes?" Auggie asked, playing along with the kids. "What color are her eyes?"

"Brown," Evan quickly replied. "Like the chocolate Nana used to make for the strawberries."

Annie smiled from the doorway, blushing a bit at the description his nephews were providing him.

"And she's got a _very_ pretty smile!" Noah added on.

"I _see_," Auggie said, acting as though he was pondering. "So she is beautiful."

"Well duh!" Evan exclaimed.

"All right, no more cookies for either of you," he told them, standing up and grabbing the package of cookies. As he was putting them back in the cupboard he said, "You two sound like girls. Next thing you know, you'll be asking me whether or not I love her."

"We already know you do, Uncle Auggie," Noah told him, finishing the last of his milk.

Auggie stopped what he was doing and sighed. "It's that obvious, huh?"

The moment Annie heard his response, she mentally gasped and moved out of the doorway, not wanting to be seen or heard. He loved her? August Anderson loved _her_, Anne Walker? Here she was, slightly obsessing over a jerk that left her while someone like Auggie was standing right in front of her, putting himself out on the line for her.

God, if her life wasn't screwed up beforehand, it definitely was now.

**xxx**

It was close to midnight when everyone bid each other goodnight. Annie and Auggie had yet to decide sleeping arrangements, yet part of her had a feeling that he would be adamant on sleeping on the floor. After all, if they remained in the same room it would cause less suspicion from his family.

Annie had finished getting into her pajamas—a pair of shorts and an overgrown tee-shirt—when Auggie returned to the room. His hair was still damp from the shower (as was hers from the shower prior to his), causing his hair to curl even more than normal. He was only wearing a pair of cotton pajama pants, and as he walked about the room without a shirt she noticed that his once deep purple bruises were already turning yellow and green, a sign of healing.

"Forgot my shirt," he told her, rummaging through his drawers for something to wear.

"Your bruises are healing," she pointed out.

"Yep."

So much for small talk. It was as though neither of them were making a conscious effort to fix the strain that's grown between them. This was exactly what she wanted to avoid when she was sent over here with him.

"I'll take whichever pillow you don't want."

"They're the same to me," she admitted. Regardless, she handed him the pillow that was a bit fluffier than the other.

He nodded his thanks, and then grabbed the comforter that was on the edge of the bed. Then, just like that, he lied down on the floor and made himself comfortable. Annie didn't feel like contradicting his actions, so she simply shut off the lights and crawled into bed.

Perhaps tomorrow would be better for the both of them.

**xxx**

Annie awoke with a fright in the middle of the night. She was having a bad dream, but the moment she opened her eyes all thoughts of the dream fled from her mind. She couldn't shake the feeling, though. She needed a glass of water, something to calm her nerves, so she decided to head down to the kitchen.

Quietly, she reached over to the nightstand and turned on the lamp. She was surprised when light filled the room—Auggie was nowhere in sight. The comforter and pillow were still on the floor, yet the man who was supposed to be sleeping there was not to be found. She looked over towards the door and saw that it was open just a crack. Perhaps he had gotten the same idea as her?

Either way, Annie headed out of the room. She did not bother turning on the light in the hallway for she did not want to awake anyone else in the house. The nightlight that had been installed in the hallway provided just enough light for her to notice that the door to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson's room was open. From that general vicinity, Annie heard what appeared be crying. It wasn't entirely audible, but then again it wasn't soundless.

"Hello?" Annie called out inside the dark room.

"Annie?" a slightly raspy voice replied.

"Auggie? What are you doing in here?" She reached over to the light switch, flooding the room with light. That was when she noticed him sitting on the bed, head hung low. She walked over to him and sat down next to him, and it was then that her thoughts were confirmed. He was crying, and appeared to be ashamed of doing so. "Hey," she whispered, grabbing his hand and interlacing their fingers. She said nothing else, knowing that at the moment, he needed nothing more than a person to be there for him.

Annie realized something was wrong the moment he walked out of the living room. It simply took her until now to realize what it was. He couldn't remember her like the rest of them did, enjoying videos and going through pictures; and yet, everyone else remained the same, the seriousness of the situation not having phased them whatsoever.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, looking somewhat ashamed of having her see him cry.

Annie squeezed his hand. "You have nothing to apologize for."

She sat there with him for a while longer, keeping him company while he surrounded himself with his mother's presence—or whatever of it remained in her room. The tears had subsided a short moment after Annie's arrival, and afterwards they simply sat there in silence. Surprisingly enough, it was what he needed at the moment.

Once he felt a bit better, Auggie allowed Annie to lead the both of them out of the room. They returned to his room without a bump or sound made.

"Thank you," Auggie said, leaning down to place a kiss on Annie's cheek. He misjudged his knowledge and ended up placing a kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Sorry," he apologized.

"No need," she told him.

He began to crouch down and assume his floor once more when Annie grabbed his hand and stopped him. She tugged him towards the bed until he sat down next to her.

"We're grown adults. I don't think we'd have a problem sharing a bed."

"Are you propositioning me, Miss Walker?" Auggie teased, bringing a small smile to Annie's face.

"I'm actually offering to sleep beside the wall."

"I'll accept that as well," he said.

Reaching down to the ground, Auggie grabbed his pillow and placed it next to hers. Once Annie was situated between the wall and him, he reached over and shut off the lamp. For a couple of minutes, each one of them tossed and turned, trying to _not_ touch each other. But it was a hard feat to accomplish while sharing a twin bed.

Finally, once Annie had had enough, she adjusted her body so that she was facing the wall. With Auggie's chest against her back, Annie reached over for his arm and wrapped it around her waist, giving them a bit more space than before.

A small smile graced her lips when his grip around her tightened and he pulled her closer. It wasn't the equivalent of talking, but at least it was something.


End file.
